Motion Picture Pioneer: Eadweard Muybridge and the Zoopraxiscope

In honor of the latest analogue wonder to join the fantastic Lomography lineup, the Lomokino, we pay tribute to Eadweard Muybridge, a very important figure in the history of cinema.

Eadweard Muybridge started his photographic career shooting landscapes and architectural images, to obtain recognition for his great landscape photographs of Yosemite and San Francisco, under the name of ‘Helios’. But he is most recognized for the ’invention of the first film projector in the world – the Zoopraxiscope.

Muybridge and his challenge

In 1872, former California Governor Leland Stanford, who owns a race horse, tried to find an answer to the much-debated question whether the four legs of a galloping horse touched the ground while in motion. Muybridge was hired to help using his photographic skills.

Muybridge set out a series of cameras next to the track to capture the sequence. Each camera “snapped” as soon as the horse passed through an electronic control. Muybridge obtained patents for these devices.

The images were then transferred to a glass disk – painted as silhouettes – and displayed on a device called the Zoopraxiscope. It projected images from the rotating disk in quick succession, producing a moving image. He experimented with images of animals – horses, antelopes, elephants and other wildlife.

Race Horse (1878) by Eadweard Muybridge :

It was said that the Zoopraxiscope was the basis for the Kinetoscope, which was invented by Thomas Edison and William Dickson. Muybridge also inspired many artists, ranging from composer Philip Glass to the legendary band U2, who has integrated his images and the technique in their music videos.

Bringing analogue back to the movies with a bang in the 21st century, the LomoKino is a Lomography movie camera that shoots spectacular, creative movies on all kinds of 35mm film. Head to the Microsite, watch some Movies and begin your analogue movie-making journey today!

geschrieben von shhquiet am 2011-11-05 in #lifestyle #history #film #motion-picture #eadweard-muybridge #zoopraxiscope #lomokino #lomokino-launch #motion-picture-pioneers